Sludge pumping apparatus



July 25, 1944. F. w. HARTSTEIN SLUDGE PUMPING APPARATUS Filed May 20, 1944 INVENTOR FRED W f/ARASTE/M A ORNEYS N RN Patented July 25, 1944 UNITED STATES: PATENT OFFICE? SLUDGE PUMPING APPARATUS Fred w. Hartstein, Brooklyn, N..Y. V ApplicationMay 20, 1944, Serial No. 536,471

(o1. ios sl) soiaims.

This invention relates to improvements in an apparatus and'method of sludge pumping and has for its primary object the pumping of viscous, oils and sludges to a relatively great height'and' over relatively long distances. Whereas the in: vention may be adaptable for other purposes the same is primarily intended for the sludge cleaning of the fuel tanks of an oil burning maritime vessel. I 1

With the advent of oil as a fuel the ship operator was. confronted with the problem of periodically cleaning the fuel tanks. The bunker oils, which are distillate products when gasoline, is extracted from natural oils, have an asphalt-base which in the length of time precipitates out of the oil and forms a heavy gluish sludge which does not respond to conventional pumping meth-. ods. When the sludge accumulation becomes so. extensive that it seriously encroaches on the storage capacity of the pumpable fuel oil in the tank, the tank has, of course, to be cleaned out in order to make room for the useful fuel.

Also when bottom repairs are required in the fuel tanks, and as such repairs invariably-require hot work like riveting and welding, the sludges as well as the gases must be removed so that thework may be undertaken without danger of explosion.

I am aware that others, such as Wheeler in his Patents Nos, 1,405,173 and 1,480,482, have employed vacuum pumping for removing sludge from the fuel tanks of a ship, but. insuchinstances the sludge is pumped from the fuel tank to one of a pair of tanks mounted on the deck of a cleanin barge, while the other of the tanks is emptying its sludge contents into the storage;

space of the cleaning barge. This shift-over from one vacuum tank to another requires frequent,

ing apparatus andsystem. It is therefore a'further feature of my invention to utilize the chilling water-swept hull surface of a cleaning barge as a steam condenser for rapidly condensing such saturatedsteam as may' enter the tank of the barge during a pumping operation. By con-' stantly maintaining a relatively low' gas' and" vapor pressure in the sludge receiving tank, the work performed by the vacuum pump is consid-' erably reduced. i r

' From the aforesaid features, it is apparentjthlat the basis of my invention consists in the use of chilled water-swept hull of a cleaning barge as a vacuum tank into which sludge is directly sucked by a high'vacuum pumptoincreasethe pumping rate over previous apparatus and methods with which I am familiar. However, other novel features of the invention will become apparent as the following specification is read in sludge cleaning barge.

lapses in the pumping operation, for the capacity;

at the inlet end of the system toemulsify the viscous material to be pumped so as to increase its temperature and accordinglydecrease its, viscosity and thus prevent clogging of the pump- Figure 2 is an enlarged detail vertical 'sectionaP view through the intake nozzle with a part broken away in section.- P A Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the-numeral. Hi designates my improved sludge cleaning barge in: its entirety-which includes a rigid metal hull l t preferably constructed o fsteel, The top of the hull l l is'clos'ed' by a deck plate l2. Preferably the hull If is divided by transverse partitions l3 intoa plurality of vacuum tanks or sludge receiving compartments {4. The bargelll is shown as being buoyantly supported upon the-surface of a body of water l5, whereupon the bottom and: opposite sides of the metal hull H are disposed in heat exchange relation to the body of water l5.- Thus threesur faces of each vacuum tank l4 aresubjectedto the chilling temperature of the, body of water l5,on which the barge H} floats. l

Mounted on the deck- |2 isa conventional vacuum pump It having a suction inlet pipe 11 leading to each vacuumtank l3. Each vacuum tank l3 has apipe riser 18. extending upwardly from the: deck, said piperiserhavingcommunicationwith its related vacuum tank and consti tutingthe sludgeinlet thereto. V a

In Figure 1 of the drawing, the; cleaningbarge IB is shown astbeing moered beside a fuel" oil: burning ship. is. the hu l f. which: s p v ded: wi h he usu l d b bo om 210,. {wi hinwhi the fuel'oil sludge to be pumped accumulates.

A transmission hose 2| has one of its ends connected to the pipe riser by a coupling 22, while the other end of said hose extends upward over the side of the ship I9 and downward through hatches or other passageways into the space between the double bottom 20. The free end of the hose 2! carries an inlet nozzle 23 in the form of a pipe reducer provided with air inlets 24 inwardly from the inlet end thereof. A steam nozzle 25,.extendsthrough and ,.i nto the ,nozzle 23, to Whicha' s eam-poser; is connected, thelat-j ter receiving" its supplier steam from an attendant tugboat or from th steam supply of the 1 ship I9. The steam nozzle enters the hose nozzle between the air inlets 24 and'the outer end thereof as best illustrated in Figure}. In use consider to be the preferred embodiment of my *inventiom-I wish it to be understood that such changes in construction, materials, design, and

the inlet; end of the nozzle 23 is submerged into the sludge 21 with the air inlets above ,the level thereof to enable air to be drawn into the trans-,

mission hose 2| along with the sludge to agitate or crack, the gluish sludge; material enteringthe nozzle 23 to effect an emulsion or mechanical dilution essential to itstransfer. ,Steam-is also addedto the flowsof emulsified viscous material through the steam nozzle 25 to increase. the temperature of ,thesame; and decreasing its vis-' cosity to prevent the. sludge from clinging to the side of the suction :hose .2], which otherwise would eventually clog the same.

In operation of my apparatus and-system, the pump I6 is placed inoperation which creates a relatively high vacuum in .one oftheselected vacuum tanksj l, whereuponthesludge 2-1 is sucked through the nozzle;2 3 'into thehose -2I,- along with. a proportionatepmount of air drawn throughthelinlets ,2! and steamfrom the steam nozzle 25, .The high; vacuum sucks the matee rial into the tankllfu where it accumulates until the tank istfilledpafterwhich the .hose 2|: is connected to-the riser :of'the nexttank' to receive a load. As the heated sludge enters the tank M; the; bulk of; thev saturated steam vapor accompanying thesame is:immediately' chilled by rea son of the fact that it is subjectedtothe chilling eflect'of the surroundingwater with which three sides of the vacuum tank are in constant heat exchange relation. This chilling action 'causes an immediate condensing of the vapors, which thereupon reduces the combinedgasand vap'or Dressure'withinthe vacuum tank "l4; It 'is there'- uses ascome within the scope of the appended claims mayberesorted to if desired without departing from the spirit of my invention.

"Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pateng w a l Inan apparatus for pumping viscous sludges frb'ml th'einsideof .a ship, .a barge, a vacuum compartment within'said bar e having heat conducting' wallsfdisposed below the water line of said barge, .afiexible transmission line having an outlet; en'd'connected to said vacuum compartment and its inlet end disposed in the viscous sludge to-be pumped, means forallowing atmosphe'ric 'airf't'o enter the transmission line,,means peraturethereof over thosesystems in which the vacuum tanks are" mounted in an exposed position upon the deck ofthe-cleaningbarge, which accordingly reduces the vapor pressure within the v'a'cuum ta'nk l3- andincrea'ses the working It lisfa 'kn'own fact that air pressures vary withthe' absolute temperaturebf the air; In my app'aratus and system; such: air the vacuum tank is' rna'intained at a relatively low temperature due to the cooling" action of the water which is in 'heatbxchange relation tothree surfaces of the;vaciniri tank. Thus, in comparing my' pparatus and system with" others emplaying a va'cuum pump "of I like; 'aiii pumping for; injectingsteam into the transmission line, andQ ne'ans onsaid barge for creatinga relativelyjliigh vacuumin the vacuum compartment.

"2 'In an apparatus for pumping viscous sludges fifhrnfihe inside of a ship, a barge buoyantly supported, by a body of water, a vacuum'compartnient within said barge having metal heat conducting walls disposed below the surface level of thelbod'y of water in heat exchange relation to the body of water, a transmission line having an outlet end "connected to the vacuum compartment andan inlet end adapted to be led to the inside of a ship and disposed in theviscous sludge t'ol$lpun1ped, means forallowing air to enter the-transmission line'at the inlet end thereof, meansforinjecting steam into the transmission line at the-inlet 'end thereof, and a high vacuum pump mounted on the deck of said barge having its inletconne'cted to said vacuum compartment for' withdrawing a relatively great'volume of air therefrom and" thereby creatinga relatively high vacuum therein. u

'3;' an apparatus for pumping viscous sludge from the'iriside of a ship, a barge buoyantly supported by a'bo'dy of wate'r, a sludge receiving compartment "within said barge having metal heat conducting walls disposed below the surface level of the "body of water in heat exchange relation to the: body "of water, a flexible transmission hose having, an 'outlet' end connected to said sludge receiving compartment and an inlet end adapted t'obeled to the inside of a ship and disposed in the viscous sludge to be pumped, means for admittingffair at the inlet end of said hose and a higlijvacuiim; pump mountedon the deckof said barge'liaving' its inlet connected to the sludgerecei'vin'g compartment for withdrawing a relativel'y" g'reat volume of air therefrom and thereby creating a relatively high vacuum therein.

Inanapparatus for pumping viscous sludge from ships, a buoyant sludge receiving tank having metal walls disposed in direct heat exchange relation tothe'surface of a body of'water upon whichjt floats, sludge transmission hose having its outlet end connected to the tank and an inlet end immersed in the sludge to be pumped, means for admitting air at the inlet end of said hose, and means carried by said barge for creating and maintaining a relatively high vacuum in the sludge receiving tank.

5. In an apparatus for pumping viscous sludges from the inside of a ship, a hollow barge, the interior of said barge constituting a vacuum sludge-receiving compartment, a transmission line having an outlet end connected to said vacuum compartment and an inlet end adapted to be disposed in the sludge to be pumped, means at the inlet end of the transmission line for admitting atmospheric air therein, and means on the barge for creating a vacuum in the vacuum compartment.

6. In an apparatus for pumping viscous sludges from the inside of a ship, a hollow barge adapted to be moored adjacent the ship to be pumped having a portion disposed below its water line for the cooling of the interior thereof below atmospheric temperature by the surrounding water on which it floats, the interior of said barge constituting a vacuum sludge-receiving compartment, a transmission line having an outlet end connected to said vacuum compartment and an inlet end adapted to be disposed in the sludge to be pumped, means at the inlet end of the transmission line for admitting atmospheric air therein, and a vacuum pump mounted on the barge exteriorly of the vacuum compartment and having its inlet connected to said vacuum compartment and its outlet exhausting to the atmosphere.

7. In an apparatus for pumping watery viscous sludges from the inside of a ship into an overside buoyant receptacle comprising a transmission line communicating with said receptacle, means for introducing air into the inlet end of said transmission line, means for sucking sludge and sludge material to be pumped through the transmission line by withdrawing air from the receptacle to create a vacuum therein, the liquid in which the said receptacle floats acting to chill the exterior of the receptacle thus increasing the vacuum therein.

8. In an apparatus for pumping watery viscous sludges from the inside of a ship into an overside buoyant receptacle comprising a transmission line communicating with said receptacle, means for introducing air into the inlet end of said transmission line, means for introducing steam into the inlet end of said transmission line, means for sucking sludge and sludge material to be pumped through the transmission line by withdrawing air from the receptacle to create a vacuum therein, the liquid in which the said receptacle floats acting to chill the exterior of the receptacle thus increasing the vacuum and condensing the steam therein. I

FRED W. HARTSTEIN. 

